Cannabis plant named ‘V2’

ABSTRACT

The new Cannabis plant variety ‘V2’ is provided. ‘V2’ is intended for use as medicinal herb for sale in Cannabis dispensaries for use in the manufacture of medicinal and recreational products. The variety can be distinguished by its outstanding feature of increased production of tetrahydrocannabivarin.

Latin name of the genus and species:

Genus—Cannabis.

Species—sativa.

Variety denomination: The new Cannabis plant claimed is of the variety denominated ‘V2’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct annual variety of C. sativa, which has been given the variety denomination of ‘V2’. Its market class is that of a medicinal herb. ‘V2’ is intended for use as medicinal herb containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). ‘V2’ is intended for use as a medicinal herb for sale in Cannabis dispensaries for use in the manufacture of medicinal and recreational products.

The new C. sativa variety is a selection resulting from initial genetic selection of C. sativa varieties from Durban, South Africa and Malawi, Morocco to cultivate that had the potential for higher production of THCV. Plants were initially bred within greenhouses in Laytonville, Calif. before being acclimatized to outdoor conditions. After acclimatization, vegetative C. sativa plants were tested for THCV levels using chromatography. The highest THCV producing male and female plants were selected for breeding. The female parent F12 (not patented) of THC content 0.55% and THCV content 1.27% was cross bred to C. sativa male parent M31 (not patented) of THC content 6.14% and THCV content 1.24% to generate the F1 progeny. Cannabinoid production of the F1 progeny was measured beginning in 2016 and used to determine single plants to propagate F1 females having breeding record numbers Ma2, Ma3, Ma4, Ma5, Ma6, and Ma8 were open-pollinated with F1 males having breeding record numbers Ma1, Ma7, Ma9, and Ma10. F2 seeds were planted and F2 plants were selected for THCV production and vigor. The new variety was discovered and selected as a single plant from this cross of F1 parents, and was subsequently propagated clonally in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. Selection criteria included enhanced THCV production relative to THC production.

PROPAGATION

The selection was subsequently evaluated for 3 years in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. Individual plants are initially propagated within a greenhouse without supplemental lighting. Plants are transferred to outdoor growth once established.

Asexual reproduction of the new variety by stem cutting propagation since 2018 at Mendo Love Farm, Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A has demonstrated that the new variety reproduces true to type with all the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Human cultivation history of Cannabis dates back 8000 years (Schultes, R. E. 1970. Random thoughts and queries on the botany of Cannabis. Pages 11-38 in: C R B Joyce, and S H Curry eds., THE BOTANY AND CHEMISTRY OF CANNABIS. J. & A. Churchill. London, England (1970)). Hemp cloth recovered in Europe dates back 6000 years (Small, F., Beckstead, H D., and Chan, A. 29(3) ECONOMIC BOTANY 219-232. (1975)). The written record of the pharmacologic properties of Cannabis goes back more than 4000 years (Ti, H. 2737BCE.Nei Jing Su Wen Huang Ti (Yellow Emporer's Classic on Internal Medicine; referred to without citation in Small, et al. (1975) Supra).

The taxonomy and nomenclature of the highly variable genus Cannabis (Emboden, W A., 29(3) ECONOMIC BOTANY 304-310. (1974)) (Small, E. and Cronquist, A. 25(4) TAXON 405-435 (1976)) (Small, E. and Cronquist, A. 26(1) TAXON 110 (1977)); (Hillig, K W and Mahlberg, P G, 91(6) American Journal of Botany 966-975 (2004)), remains in question. This is in spite of the fact that its formal scientific name, Cannabis sativa L., assigned by Carolus Linneaus (Linneaus, C, 2 SPECIES PLANTARIUM 1027 (1753), Salvius, Stockholm. Fascimile edition, 1957-1959. Ray Society, London, U.K.) is one of the oldest established names in botanical history and is still excepted to this day. Another species in the genus, Cannabis indica Lam. Was formally named somewhat later (de Lamarck, J B, 1(2) ENCYLOPEDIE METHODIQUE DE BOTANIQUE, 694-5, (1785)), but is still very old in botanical history.

Three other species names were proposed in the 1800s to distinguish plants with presumably different characteristics (C. macrosperma Stokes, C. chinensis Delile, C. giganteam Vilmorin), none of which are accepted today, although the epithet “indica” lives on as a subspecies of C. sativa (C. sativa ssp. indica Lam., Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra).

In the 20^(th) century, two new names were added to the liturgy of proposed Cannabis species: C. ruderalis Janischevsky and a hybrid x C. interstita Sojak. (Small, E, Jui, P Y, and Lefkovitch, L P, 1(1) SYSTEMATIC BOTANY 67-84 (1976)); Small and Cronquist 1976, Supra). Further, numerous names have been proposed for horticultural variants of ‘Cannabis’ but as of 1976, “very few of these have been validly published as formal taxa under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.” (Small and Cronquist, 1976 Supra). Moreover, other recent work continues to focus on higher-order evolutionary relationships of the genus. Cannabis has been variously ascribed as belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae) (Engler, H G A, Ulmaceae, Moraceae and Urticaceae, pages 59-118 (1889) in: A. Engler and K. Prantl eds., DIE NATURLICHEN PFLANZENFAMILIEN 3(1). W. Engelmann, Leipzeig, Germany; Judd, W S, Sanders, R W, and Donogue, M J, 5 HARVARD PAPERS IN BOTANY 5: 1-51 (1994)); nettle family (Urticaceae) (Berg, C C, Systematics and phylogeny of the Urticales, pages 193-220, in: P. R. Crane and S. Blackmore eds., EVOLUTION, SYSTEMATIC, AND FOSSIL HISTORY OF THE HAMAMELIDAE, VOL 2, HIGHER HAMAMELIDAE, Clarendon Press, Oxford, U.K. (1989); Humphries, C J and Blackmore, S. A review of the classification of the Moraceae, pages 267-277 In: Crane and Blackmore 1989 id.); and most recently in its own family with hops (Humulus), the Cannabaceae, or hemp family (Sytsma, K Jm et al. 89(9) AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 1531-1546 (2002)). While the work of Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra, seemed to effectively confine the genus to a single species with 2 subspecies (C. sativa. s., C. s. indica), each with two varieties (C.s.s var sativa, C.s.s. var spontanea; C.s.i. var. indica, C.s.i. var. Karfiristanica) largely on the basis of chemotaxonomy and interfertility of all forms, more recent work (System, et al. 2002, Supra), proposes a two-species concept, resurrecting the binomial C. indica Lam. Since Systema, et al. 2002 provides no key for discriminating between the species, the dichotomous key of Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra, which accounts for all forms in nature, whether wild or domesticated, was used to classify the characteristics of the plants described herein.

The active ingredients in Cannabis are cannabinoids and include THC and THCV. Cannabinoids are of interest for their effects on the body through the endogenous cannabinoid system that is an integral part of the central nervous system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim for the development of the new C. sativa variety, ‘V2’, was to produce a variety featuring increased THCV levels relative to THC levels. These phytocannabinoids in Cannabis are known for their ability to signal through the human endocannabinoid system. THC is found in the form of tetrahydrocannabolic acid (THCA) that is converted to THC during drying or under high heat. Similarly, THCV in live plants is in the form of tetrahydrocannivarin carboxylic acid (THCVA). THC and THCV both bind to the cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB₁) and 2 (CB₂) although the exact effects of binding are not fully understood. Binding of CB₁ by its endogenous ligands, anandamide or 2-arachidonoylglycerol, stimulates food intake (Silvestri, C., Di Marzo, V. 17 Cell Metabolism 475-490 (2013)). THC acts as an agonist of CB₁ and stimulates appetite. THCV has been shown to be a mild antagonist of CB₁ and lessens sensations of hunger (Pertwee, R G. 153 British Journal of Pharmacology 199-215 (2008)). The ability of THCV to act as an antagonist of CB₁ has led to investigation of using THCV to treat metabolic syndrome and obesity (Riedel, G., et al., 156 British Journal of Pharmacology 1154-1166 (2009)). Selection of a variety producing increased amounts of THCV allows optimized isolation of THCV which may be used in treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Plants of the new variety differ from typical C. sativa plants in increased production of THCV compared to THC as determined by cannabinoid testing performed by an independent testing company. ‘V2’ is a new variety with increased production of THCV compared to standard varieties of C. sativa. The enhanced production of THCV makes ‘V2’ a variety of interest for production of medicinal THCV.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Profiles of Key Cannabinoids. Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent d9-THC 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.04 0.05 THCA 0.67 1.22 2.77 5.24 6.29 Total THC* 0.59 1.07 2.45 4.63 5.56 THCV 0.00 0.02 0.04 0.29 0.35 THCVA 1.14 1.84 3.51 5.93 7.12 THCV + THCVA 1.14 1.86 3.55 6.22 7.46 CBG + CBGA 0.00 0.13 0.27 0.87 1.04 Total 2.04 3.25 6.37 11.93 14.34 Cannabinoids THCV/THC (%) 193 173 145 134 134 THCV/Total 56 57 56 52 52 Cannabinoid (%) *Total THC + (THCA * 0.877) + THC (i.e. delta 9 THC) + delta 8 THC

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PICTURES

The accompanying photographs show the typical appearance of the new variety ‘V2’. The colors are as nearly true as is reasonably possible in a color representation of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describes the colors of the new plant.

FIG. 1. a photograph of the new variety ‘V2’ at about age 16 weeks in its vegetative stage in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. The photograph was taken in July 2018.

FIG. 2. is a photograph of the new variety ‘V2’ at about age 16 weeks in its vegetative stage in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. in a 45-gallon pot. The photograph was taken in July 2018 and demonstrates the narrow leaf structure.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V2’ at about age 28-30 weeks in its flowering stage in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. The photograph was taken in October 2018.

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V2’ at about age 38 weeks in its flowering stage in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. The photograph was taken in December 2018 with cover to protect from rain and straw to keep roots warm, the bud structure is much bigger, and the THCV levels lower than early November.

FIG. 5 is a photograph of the inflorescence of the newvariety, ‘V2’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description sets forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘V2’. The data which define these characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions of the original selection. Dimensions, sizes, colors, and other characteristics are approximations and averages set forth as accurately as possible. The plant history was taken on plants approximately 3 breeding years of age, and the descriptions relate to plants grown in the field in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. Color notations are in reference to the standard digital RGB color-numbering system known to those of ordinary skill in color designation and color matching. Color measurements were taken and quantified using a commercially available color detection, quantification, and matching device. Color group hues and specific color names provided are based upon classification and naming used in the art of color matching and naming, such as can be found at www.color-blindness.com/color-name-hue-tool/color-name-hue.html.

-   Classification:     -   -   a. Family.—Cannabaceae.         -   b. Genus.—Cannabis.         -   c. Species.—Sativa.         -   d. Common name.—Marijuana. -   Market class: A medicinal herb intended for use as medical oil, and     medicinal herb for sale in Cannabis dispensaries and for use in the     manufacture of medicinal and recreational products.

PLANT

-   General:     -   -   a. Parentage.—a. Male parent — M31. b. Female parent — F12.         -   b. Growth habit.—Annual.         -   c. Average height.—2-3 meters.         -   d. Average spread.—2-3 meters.         -   e. Growth rate.—Variable, 1 inch a day.         -   f. Branching characteristics.—Sets of 2, matching or             alternating.         -   g. Length of primary lateral branches.—1-2 meters.         -   h. Quantity of primary lateral branches.—10-25.         -   i. Characteristics of primary lateral branches.—a. Color —             Green/tan, #998D71 hue/color group: Brown; color name Pale             Oyster 153,141,113. b. Texture — Sticky, undulated and             gritty. c. Strength — Soft to woody.         -   j. Cold tolerance.—Survives light snow.         -   k. Chilling requirement.—Flowers below 70° F.         -   l. Shipping tolerance.—High.         -   m. Flower storage life.—One year.         -   n. Productivity.—2-3 lbs per plant in 200 gallon grow bag in             full sun at the farm that the genetics were isolated and             upbred.         -   o. Disease resistance/susceptibility.—Strong Powdery mildew             resistant.         -   p. Pest resistance/susceptibility.—Not observed.         -   q. Proportion of hermaphrodite plants.—Low.         -   r. Proportion of female plants.—High.         -   s. Proportion of male plants.—Medium.

STEM

-   General:     -   -   a. Average diameter.—2.5 inches with a plus/minus of 1 inch.         -   b. Average length of internode.—2.5 inches with a plus/minus             of 1 inch.         -   c. Depth of grooves.—Shallow.         -   d. Pith in cross section.—Thick.         -   e. Trichome type.—Capitate sessile.         -   f. Color.—#8B7353, hue/color group: Green; color name:             Shadow 139, 115, 83.

LEAF

-   General:     -   -   a. Average length.—7 inches/plus/minus 1 inch.         -   b. Average width.—4.5 to 7 inches.         -   c. Number of leaflets.—5-11 depending on plant size and             maturity.         -   d. Central leaflet length.—5 inches, plus/minus 1 inch in a             20 gallon pot.         -   e. Central leaflet width.—0.7 inches , plus/minus 0.2             inches.         -   f. Margin type.—Dentate, finely serrated.         -   g. Trichome type (upper surface).—Capitate sessile.         -   h. Trichome typle (lower surface).—Capitate sessile.         -   i. Fragrance.—Herbaceous, vernal, grassy sweet.         -   j. Apex shape.—Elongated, pointed, long.         -   k. Base shape.—Palmated.         -   l. Quantity.—High leaf:calyx ratio.         -   m. Leaf color (top side).—#405A39 hue/color group: Green;             color name: Palm Leaf 64,90,57.         -   n. Leaf color (under side).—#718266 hue/color group: Green;             color name: Camouflage Green 113,130,102.         -   o. Leaf shape.—Palmated serrate leaflets with symmetrical             variable lengths.

PETIOLE

-   General:     -   -   a. Length.—2 inches plus/minus 0.25 inches.         -   b. Surface texture.—Smooth to gritty, depending on maturity.         -   c. Anthocyanin intensity.—Low in Veg, medium in the late             flowering stage.         -   d. Color.—#A8A65B hue/color group: Green; color name: Green             Smoke 168,166,91.

FEMALE FLOWER

-   General:     -   -   a. Natural flowering season.—November/December.         -   b. Quantity per inflorescence.—100-140 per cycle.         -   c. Bracteole.—i. Shape — Elongated, open cymes. ii. Trichome             type — Capitate stalked. iii. Color — #5E512D hue/color             group: Yellow; color name: West Coast 94,81,45.         -   d. Stigma.—i. Size — 0.4 cm. ii. Quantity — 2 per             bract. iii. Shape — Acute. iv. Trichome type — Capitate             stalked, glandular. v. Color — #5E512D hue/color group:             Yellow; color name: West Coast 94,81,45.         -   e. Stipule.—i. Size — 0.6 cm. ii. Quantity — 2 per             pistillate flower. iii. Shape — Pointed, thin,             bladelike. iv. Trichome type — Capitate stalked,             glandular. v. Color — #7A7A27 hue/color group: Yellow; color             name: Pesto 122.122,39.         -   f. Bract.—i. Size — 0.1-0.6 cm. ii. Shape — Curved,             vaselike, urnshaped. iii. Trichome type — Capitate stalked,             glandular. iv. Color — #6E6344 hue/color group: Brown; color             name: Tobacco Brown 110,99,68. v. Texture — Greasy, sticky.

SEEDS

-   General:     -   -   a. Marbling.—Medium.

COMPARISON BETWEEN PARENTAL AND COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

The new C. sativa variety ‘V2’ differs from the parental varieties female F12 and male M31, by having an increased production of THCV, is larger in width and height than the F1 stock Ma1 through Ma8, grows more robustly, has much closer internodes, and stronger branches.

Compared to related varieties, ‘V2’ differs from ‘V3’ in that ‘V3’ has coarsely serrated leaflets that are longer than ‘V2’. ‘V2’ is higher in THCV than THC, while ‘V3’ is higher in THC than THCV. ‘V2’, finishes later than ‘V3’, which includes a later flowering cycle and also later development/showing of sex.

‘V2’ differs from ‘V1’ primarily with respect to color characteristics of various structures of the two plants, even when grown under the same conditions. Table 2 provides differences in color between ‘V1’, ‘V2’ and ‘V3’ varieties.

TABLE 2 Color comparison between ‘V2’ and related varieties ‘V1’ ‘V2’ ‘V3’ Primary #99866D hue/color #998071 hue/color 8F867E hue/color lateral group: Brown; color group: Brown; color group: Brown; branches name: Pale Oyster name: Hemp color 153,134,109 153,141,113 name: Schnooner 143,134,126 Stem #7B6847 hue/color #8B7353 hue/color #726139 hue/color group: Yellow; color group: Green; color group: Brown; name: Go Ben name: Shadow color 127,104,71 139,115,83 name: Shingle Fawn 114,97,57 Top #2E4626 hue/color #405A39 hue/color #32482A hue/color side group: Green; color group: Green; color group: Green; leaf name: Palm Leaf name: Palm Leaf color name: Palm color 46,70,38 64,90,57 Leaf 50,72,42 Under #5F6A47 hue/color #718266 hue/color #586B41 hue/color side group: Green; color group: Green; color group: Green; leaf name: Woodland name: Camouflage color name: color 95,106,71 Green 113,130,102 Chalet Green 88,107,65 Petiole #7C613B hue/color #A8A65B hue/color #7FACBE group: Brown; color group: Green; color hue/color name: Shingle Fawn name: Green Smoke group: Blue; color 124,97,59 168,166,91 name: Glacier 127,172,190 Bracteole #544D20 hue/color #535B36 hue/color N/A group: Yellow; color group: Green; color name: Bronze Olive name: Clover 84,77,32 83,91,54 Stigma #585635 hue/color #5E512D hue/color #6F5A3C group: Yellow; color group: Yellow; color hue/color name: Thatch Green name: West Coast group: Yellow; 88,86,53 94,81,45 color name: Yellow Metal 111,90,60 Stipule #4D461C hue/color #7A7A27 hue/color #3A5116 hue/color group: Green color group: Yellow; color group: Green; name: Army Green name: Pesto color name: 77,70,28 122,122,39 Verdun Green 58,81,22 Bract #535736 hue/color #6E6344 hue/color #3B5A4E group: Green; color group: Brown; color hue/color name: Waiouru name: Tobacco group: Green; 83,87,54 Brown 110,99,68 color name: Plantation 59,90,78

The new C. sativa variety ‘V2’ differs from variety ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,475) in several characteristics. ‘V2’ is narrower in leaf structure than ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ Other differences are provided in Table 3:

TABLE 3 Differences between ‘V2’ and ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ ‘V2’ ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ Aroma Herbaceous, vernal Strongly mephitic, grassy sweet with hints of limonene Leaf Margin Finely serrated Coarsely serrated Central leaflets 5 inches long with a 10-12 cm long plus/minus of 1 inch Central leaflet 0.7 inches with a plus 2.8 cm width minus of 0.2 inches Petiole 2 inches with a plus/ 9-10 cm at maturity minus of 0.25 inches Stigma 0.4 cm 5-7mm 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Cannabis plant named ‘V2’, substantially as illustrated and described herein. 